Back in the Day...

Sometimes it is always good to go to see older relatives and hear the stories of the 'good old days'. Today I went off to Troisdorf which is sort of midway between Bonn and Cologne to visit my great-uncle and his lady friend Micki(who is ACTUALLY named after Micki Mouse because she was born in the same year!). Had to take a few trains to get there but eventually arrived.

We went for a lovely meal in a restaurant which is attached to the church that Micki and my uncle go to at Christmas time for the service. The food was GORGEOUS and I had some chicken schnitzel which was covered in sauce with onions and peppers. Also I tried my very best to sprechen the Deutsch - which amazingly I did:-) Showed some old pictures of my daddy from when he must of been about 16 or 17 as Onkel Rudi sent me a picture from when I was 18 months old in Denmark so decided to show him some of the photos I have.

We then drove back to Micki's house in Troisdorf where she had cake ready for us to eat - I have never eaten so much! IT IS RIDICULOUS but the cake was gorgeous. Then the conversation turned to many random things and also saying certain sayings in German and English....my uncle taught himself English and can also speak Norwegian fluently!

Then it was time to come home - had the intention of going out but now may just stay in and watch a film or listen to some James Brown! Also discovered a better way of sleeping which is to put the mattress on the floor under the window because the lights from the stairwell shine right in my eyes when I try to sleep....so last night I actually felt like I slept despite going to bed at around 3.30am!

Was at the Christmas market yesterday and it was great - a few Gluhwein too many made me really really sleepy though which was bad but I will definately be having some more very soon.

Coffee and Strike!

Well this week has been an interesting one - lots of Students have gone on strike about the Studienbeitrag(can't spell but basically their version of tuition fees!) and also the conversion into the new system of Batchelor and Magister because it means people can get degrees quicker and not spend 10 years (as my sister has just done) trying to FINALLY get their degree. The tuition fee here is only €500 per Semester which is fairly cheap in comparison to England. Plus also technically I am being paid to study at the University so I really should not be striking with the other students even though I can see why they want to protest in the first place.

Went for coffee/hot chocolate and cake with the girls today. Always a LOVELY and funny time to be had. Isi is having her birthday I THINK on Saturday so got her a little gift - she has so much patience with me and everyone who is learning German she is GRAND! Plus must be said Charlotte's Tunfisch Unfall(insert Beethoven melody here) meant a very fun trip to the perfume department of Kaufhof. Good memory to be had there.

Yesterday's regular meeting with Dave for Doener and conversation or as I am now going to call it Dave und Doener Mittwoch - also resulted in some very philosophical conversation too. Amazing the things people find to talk about.

It is only 4 weeks until I will be back in the UK - in fact around this time EXACTLY in 4 weeks time I will be at home. Am looking forward to it to say the least - am loosing focus of why I am here but going home I think will put me back onto track. Today was a bad day for German language but yesterday was better. Today I tried to write a piece on cliches about the Brits.....is it bad I could only think about 3? Anyways as usual have wittered on for a page and a half and it is utternonsense...any suggestions? Perhaps not.

Still I get to spend the weekend with my great uncle and his lady friend which I am looking forward to. Am hoping my sister is going to come up here if not I am DETERMINED to car share my way to Freiburg(Dave fancy a trip?!)

miss ya'll

Let's start with some song lyrics, "Tomorrow I will change and today won't mean a thing"

I hate the world today
You're so good to me, I know
But I can't change
Tried to tell you
But you look at me like maybe I'm an angel underneath
Innocent and sweet

Yesterday I cried
Must have been relieved to see the softer side
I can understand how you'd be so confused
I don't envy you
I'm a little bit of everything
All rolled into one

I'm a bitch I'm a lover
I'm a child I'm a mother
I'm a sinner I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know, you wouldn't want it any other way

So take me as I am
This may mean, you'll have to be a stronger man
rest assured , when I start to make you nervous
And I'm going to extremes
Tomorrow I will change and today won't mean a thing

Just when you think
You got me
Figure out the seasons all ready changing
I think it's cool, you do what you do
And don't try to save me

I'm a bitch,
I'm tease
I'm a goddess on my knees
When you're hurt
When you suffer
I'm your angel undercoverI
've been numb
I'm revived can't say I'm not alive
You know I wouldn't want it ANY other way

It's always great to start with a song and observing LUST photographs of the Rocky Horror Show has made me realise how much I miss partaking with Theatre and having something to go to nearly every night. Of course not that I am complaining about being here - I really like it! We all have up days and we all have down days.

There is something about year abroads or prolonged time in another country that puts things into pespective about what you know what you want from life. For me I want to do well with things and do the best that I can achieve - if that means I become an international superstar along the way then so be it. No but in all reality am wondering whether or even what I can do when I finish University. Naturally I would like to travel a bit more further into Eastern Europe and maybe pick up another language another way but I don't think Fernando Torres is going to let me move in any time soon. Of course getting some nice job and working my way up somewhere would be divine too.

Today I spent the day with Dave and it was almost a piece of England entering into Germany - Toad in the Hole with beer for dinner...it really couldn't get any better except it did with the massive inclusion of football(even if England did loose!). Also the walk along the Rhine was great and meant we could look at the boats which in a geeky way reminds me alot of being back in the 'pool. It is a problem trying to find people who want to speak German with you ( they are here if you look hard enough) but as soon as you mention you are English then people want to speak to you. I am wondering how it is going to be when I have to go off to Stendal? Living in the village *welsh accent* - it is going to be alot of German which I believe will be GREAT but of course there are going to be ALOT of people that I miss in Bonn!!!

University is going alright I wouldn't say badly and I wouldn't say excellently a little bit in der Mitte. The understanding is getting better but the 90 minutes concentration is an extreme struggle. God bless the 1 hour lectures we have at home. I also had to give a presentation on Bestimmte Sprachfunktionen des Sprachmodels Buehner und Jakobson...I could barely understand any of it with all it's academic language and Germanness. But everyone was quite and I started with an apology and when I finished everyone knocked on the table(German version of clapping) and it felt great. It wasn't perfect but I still spoke some appalling German in front of roughly 40 people!!!! Strangely exhilirating....next I will be flying planes...maybe not.

Anyway time to for bed. I may start doing a couple more blogs soonish

Shneffi x